Somewhere In Between
by Irma.Arisa.Laye
Summary: Somewhere in between all our laughs, long talks, stupid little fights and silly jokes... I fell in love... xAyaHoux xslightNaruMaix -CHAPTER TWO UP!-
1. Chapter 1

**_...SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN!!_**

**Standard Disclaimer: **I don't own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters.

**_LAUGHS_**

It was another ordinary day at SPR. Lin was busy typing on his laptop and no one has any idea what it is he is typing there. Perhaps, stuff concerning the cases they've taken. Or maybe he's only chatting online with Madoka. Naru was in his office like usual and every now and then he would call for Mai and ask for some tea to be delivered to him. Yasuhara was showing John and Masako some magic tricks he learned from his school friends. Houshou was just chilling. And by that, he means, making the miko fuming mad or just plain pissed off at him. He didn't know why but he found her angry face to be sort of 'cute'. Ayako was trying her best to stay calm and ignore the monk but obviously failing to do so.

Then, after a few moments, everyone would stop what they were doing. And they would find themselves busy staring at a very flushed Mai who just came out of her narcissistic boss' office. There can only be two reasons why her face is burning red. It can either be because he did something to make her mad or something amusing happened and she ended up getting embarrassed. Today, it seemed as though the reason was the latter because Mai was clutching at her heart when she exited the place.

Houshou whistled. "I wonder what could have happened back there that made her react like that."

"That did seem different from her earlier reactions to what he did." A pondering Yasuhara would add to the monk's musings.

"I think I saw her biting her lip… Would that be a clue?" John asked innocently.

Yasuhara and Ayako turned to each other and grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"I guess this means; we won the bet, Takigawa!" Ayako said.

"Argh! Couldn't they have waited a few more days before the kiss so I would have won?" Houshou was muttering to himself.

"Sorry, Takigawa-san, a deal is a deal. You've been losing five times straight to Matsuzaki-san. You sure don't have much luck on your side."

Masako and John both blushed upon hearing what they were talking about. The same thoughts running in their heads…

'_Kiss? Are those two in a relationship now?'_

Soon after, Mai would come back wondering why everyone was staring at her like lovesick fools. And when the reason finally sunk in her 'slow' mind…

"It's not what you guys are thinking!!" she'd be screaming in their faces but the pink tint that would appear on her face while saying so, totally gave away the fact that they did got it right.

"Jou-chan, you don't have to be shy about it." Houshou said happily, obviously forgetting he had just lost yet another bet.

"I guess this means we need to celebrate, right?" Ayako teased further and everyone would end up laughing, watching Mai's face turn into different shades of red.

And so, it was yet another ordinary day at SPR, where everyone was busy making bets about the deal with Naru and Mai and then laughing their heads off whenever the results kicked in.


	2. Chapter 2

_**TALKS**_

"Ayako? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

"The band I'm part of is having a live here tomorrow. So, we decided to check out the place a day early." The monk replied.

"E… I see. Well, I'm just chilling here."

"Chilling? Hmm, I bet you're worried about something again. Perhaps, the lack of love life?" The monk teased. He expected the miko to react like she always does, hit him with something in her grasp. But the blow didn't come… at all. Instead, when he met her eyes, she seemed bothered by what he said and in fact looked a bit sad. Guilt washed over him and he pulled the seat beside her and decided to keep her company.

"W-Why are you sitting there? You're supposed to be with your band mates, right? If they see us together they might get the wrong idea!" Ayako said in panic.

"No worries. Those guys wouldn't even think for a minute that you're my girlfriend." He said jokingly. But once again she didn't seem to notice it was supposed to be a joke.

"I knew it… No one would ever like someone like me at all. Not even someone like you…" she said and covered her face with her hands.

"Hey, hey! I'm going to ignore the 'not-even-someone-like-you' part. Now, tell me what's wrong with you? You're acting weird and the things I've been saying so far are meant as jokes and you're taking all of them seriously! You're not supposed to take my 'foolish' words to heart! Where's the miko I know?" he exclaimed, clearly freaking out at the sudden change in her behavior.

She heaved a deep sigh and looked at him almost teary eyed.

"I'm going to be totally out of character right now if I tell you about my problem. But I'm going to trust you to keep it secret since I really need a listening ear…"

"I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Mai-chan. And I won't even tease you about it after this." He said seriously.

"Okay, here goes nothing…" she started.

"I had an omiai yesterday and the guy called today and said he didn't want to marry a boring girl like me… I don't like the guy either because he isn't my type. But his words cut like a knife too. I mean, I have a guy I like right now and if what that guy said was true… I bet the guy I like thinks the same thing about me. Although, it wouldn't be a surprise if he did think so too…" She didn't even notice a few tears had fallen from her eyes.

"So, this isn't really about the stupid jerk at your omiai but it's all about what you think the guy you like thinks about you? The solution is easy…"

She waited for him to continue but he just stared at her then sighed.

"I can't believe the day I would see you cry like this would come too soon. I've always thought you were tough. But I do know you're still a girl so it isn't a big surprise." He said and smiled at her, wiping her tears away gently.

"Thanks, Takigawa."

"First, wipe away your remaining tears and, if you really want to know what that guy thinks or feels about you then just ask him. It's as simple as that."

"It's not simple! I like him after all. It'd be embarrassing to ask all of a sudden. He'd definitely notice I like him and then everything would go down the drain the instant he says he can never like me back!" she exclaimed.

She didn't realize that she was already shaking because of mixed emotions inside her. That was until he hugged her and told her comforting words. They were acting really out of character but at that moment it didn't matter. Because now more than ever she felt they were really friends that cared for each other.

"If he can see you the way I see you, I'm sure he would never think, not even for a second that you are a boring woman. Have more confidence in yourself. If he rejects you, it's his loss not yours." He said before letting go of her.

She was totally shocked and speechless. She couldn't believe Takigawa Houshou would give great advice and even make her feel better about herself. And for the first time since yesterday, she smiled for real, from the heart. Then, despite herself, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Houshou." She said softly and walked off, leaving him dumbfounded in his seat.

--

**Omiai -- Marriage Meeting**


End file.
